The city of Ponda lies about 28kms south-east of Panaji and 17kms north-east
of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda Taluka . The town was born after the
Portuguese took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda and annexed
it along with Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem forming the New Conquests. It
began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative
offices and court and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as
Ponda today was a part of "Quela" village. It lies strategically
along the main Panaji-Margao highway and is also connected to the neighboring
state of Karnataka via the Ponda-Belgaum highway or the NH-4.

Today it is an industrial city with many large factories and industrial
estates nearby. Goa's only engineering college, the Goa College of Engineering
is located at nearby Farmagudi.

Ponda taluka is most famous for its temples, most of which have made the area
their home for centuries following displacement from their original sites
elsewhere in Portuguese occupied Goa during the early days of the
Inquisition.

Ponda is also the gateway to Goa's wildlife sanctuaries, both the Bondla and
the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and also the Dudhsagar Waterfalls.

Approach

There are regular bus services from Panaji and Margao and they depart from
the KTC bus stand in the middle of town. There are also buses to nearby
villages and towns leaving from here. The interstate buses also depart
from the KTC bus stand.